Remembering Karen Carpenter

The Educated Shoprat has a great post tonight reminding us that today's another important "day the music died," in this case the loss of Karen Carpenter, February 4, 1983.

Shoprat writes:

I did not realize the magnitude of this tragedy until several years later when I began to realize just how incredibly talented this lady was.

Oh, I get sad thinking about how much I miss Karen Carpenter.

When "Close To You" was on the charts in 1970 I was 9 years-old. I dreamed that she was singing about me, and that the angels would sprinkle golden starlight in my hair and girls would love me. I don't know if that's strange to say it, but that's how I felt. Over the next few years The Carpenters were playing regularly on the family turntable. When Karen Carpenter died, like Shoprat, the impact of the loss wasn't immediately apparent. But nowadays, when I hear their songs, I'm transported back to an age of innocence in my own life that few other sounds of music can do. Very few other vocalists - living or dead - leave me so rejoiced as does the beauty of Karen's vocals. My favorite today is "For All We Know," not just for the incredible, quiet wonder of Karen's voice - and the song's simple essence affirming that our lives are bound by love - but also because my wife selected the Carpenters to play at our wedding. It was a church wedding, and our minister was reluctant, but it ended up okay after all.